Bounder: 1996 Bounder Wet Spots On Floor Under Carpet Mystery

[yugnats]

Hi folks, i'm new to the forum, hope everyone is doing well!

Due to unforeseen Covid-19 circumstances my family and I have to move into our 1996 Bounder for the summer. Before we move in for an extended stay I wanted to replace the original carpet floor. I removed the carpet in the main living area yesterday and the plywood is now exposed and it has a few stains but is in great shape overall.

The problem: It rained overnight and when I went inside today to get ready to install the new laminate floor there appears to be some wet spots in random places on the plywood around the couch and small side table area (see pics). The windows were closed so it didn't come in that way.

I looked under the storage areas and they seem dry. I searched the forums and couldn't find any similar problems. Anyone ever run into this issue before? We used the RV extensively about a year ago and don't ever remember the carpet being damp in those areas before.

Could it be running down the walls from the roof or the windows?

Thanks!

[brucenem]

For the spots on the left, look at the tv antenna where it comes thru the roof. The right side, I am not sure, maybe blowing thru the door. Most likely the roof will need resealing because of age. Look inside the upper cabinets also for stains.

[KF5UMC]

Yes. Also check the air conditioner seals and the drip pan inside the AC units. The drip pan collects the condensation under the the AC coils. If the pan drains plugs up, water can comes down the inside AC grill onto he floor instead of the roof and over the side. You need to clean these drip pans at least once a year.

Remove the roof mounted AC covers and metal shroud around the coils. Look for a white plastic tray (on my coach) under the coils (evaporator) carefully remove tray and wash these trays and flush out the tiny drain holes. While in there clean the insides of the AC units and fan with simply green or other similar products, lots of paper towels and NEVER use a water hose/pressure washer in there or you will really have leaks inside the coach...Reinstall the trays and cover parts.

[yugnats]

Thank you folks, I will have a look tomorrow at those ideas (weather pending) and report back. Have a great night!

[yugnats]

Well I looked at all the seals on roof including antenna but they all look great. The A/C drip pans are empty and the A/C seals look fine. There is no sign of water in the cupboards anywhere, no stains or waves in the walls or wallpaper. I think this water has to be coming from underneath or from the sides but I don't understand how this is possible since I haven't driven the RV in over 6 months.

Any other ideas or suggestions appreciated!

[brucenem]

Water can travel some distance, and will find some hole to drop thru. That is, where you are seeing a spot may not be where the leak is. Have someone stand on the roof with a hose while another is inside. another option is to use a smoke generator and look for smoke escaping. I still think recoating the roof is necessary, if only due to age. Another thought; The seam in front where the rubber meets the fiberglass cap.

[House Husband]

I don't have a water answer but I have a suggestion.
That shelf under the left window, behind the driver can be raised to the bottom of the window frame. Then the Jack couch can be mover 2" closer to the wall. The back of the couch will then just barely slide under the shelf, when lowered. Those added 2" make a big difference in the aisle between the couch and the chair. You will have to redrill a couple of holes on the couch frame.

Richard

[GreenBaja73]

Once plywood gets wet, swells, and begins to delaminate, that opens channels for capillary action to draw and collect moisture in strange places. This may be a trick to figure out the source (as you already know). I say this because of the random pattern of water showing up.

Your intrusion location(s) could be far from where you see the wet spots. As others have suggested, I'd go ahead and reseal the roof, scrape out trim caulking up top and reseal when everything is dry and has time to cure, and then move on to other exterior maintenance areas. The tops of all windows should have good seals. It may be time to scrape & dig all the old sealant it has around your windows any way, so I'd go ahead and do that now. Check the weatherstripping around doors and windows, too. Taking care of these now is just cheap insurance against the future any way.

Another thing to check is the level of your rig. If you're able to do so safely, bring a 2-4' level up top and see if all slides are slightly off level to shed water off. Make sure roof gutters are clear. Go inside and look closely at the windows and verify no moisture is coming in. Press on the window frames inside, in case water is changeling through, but not escaping inside. By pressing, you'll have a chance to close those channels and see water droplets emerge inside the window frame.

If your subfloor has insulation inside the storage boxes, look for small signs of water stains. Water can be entering in far from where you see interior marks and traveling along the braces under the floor. You may find signs of the source far from where the interior shows moisture.

I've been a facility director in the past and have seen water move long distances inside before emerging. Thermal cameras are becoming more affordable and can shed a lot of light on mysteries if used properly. Maybe someone near you has one you can use?

[yugnats]

Originally Posted by brucenem

Water can travel some distance, and will find some hole to drop thru. That is, where you are seeing a spot may not be where the leak is. Have someone stand on the roof with a hose while another is inside. another option is to use a smoke generator and look for smoke escaping. I still think recoating the roof is necessary, if only due to age. Another thought; The seam in front where the rubber meets the fiberglass cap.

Thank you, I think when the weather gets a little nicer I will reseal the roof just for the heck of it.

[yugnats]

Originally Posted by House Husband

I don't have a water answer but I have a suggestion.
That shelf under the left window, behind the driver can be raised to the bottom of the window frame. Then the Jack couch can be mover 2" closer to the wall. The back of the couch will then just barely slide under the shelf, when lowered. Those added 2" make a big difference in the aisle between the couch and the chair. You will have to redrill a couple of holes on the couch frame.

Richard

Thank you, that's a great idea!

[yugnats]

Originally Posted by GreenBaja73

Once plywood gets wet, swells, and begins to delaminate, that opens channels for capillary action to draw and collect moisture in strange places. This may be a trick to figure out the source (as you already know). I say this because of the random pattern of water showing up.

Your intrusion location(s) could be far from where you see the wet spots. As others have suggested, I'd go ahead and reseal the roof, scrape out trim caulking up top and reseal when everything is dry and has time to cure, and then move on to other exterior maintenance areas. The tops of all windows should have good seals. It may be time to scrape & dig all the old sealant it has around your windows any way, so I'd go ahead and do that now. Check the weatherstripping around doors and windows, too. Taking care of these now is just cheap insurance against the future any way.

Another thing to check is the level of your rig. If you're able to do so safely, bring a 2-4' level up top and see if all slides are slightly off level to shed water off. Make sure roof gutters are clear. Go inside and look closely at the windows and verify no moisture is coming in. Press on the window frames inside, in case water is changeling through, but not escaping inside. By pressing, you'll have a chance to close those channels and see water droplets emerge inside the window frame.

If your subfloor has insulation inside the storage boxes, look for small signs of water stains. Water can be entering in far from where you see interior marks and traveling along the braces under the floor. You may find signs of the source far from where the interior shows moisture.

I've been a facility director in the past and have seen water move long distances inside before emerging. Thermal cameras are becoming more affordable and can shed a lot of light on mysteries if used properly. Maybe someone near you has one you can use?

Thank you, I will recheck the storage for water stains underneath. My unit has no slideouts so no issue there. I am going to go ahead and reseal the roof and windows and anything else I see. I think the front passenger window may be leaking as I can see a very small amount of what appears to be water in between the panes so I'm going to remove that and see what I can do with it.

[yugnats]

Thank you all for your thoughtful suggestions, I appreciate you all taking the time to try and help! I'll reseal the roof, windows etc and I'm going to take the passenger window out and see what's up with it. Thanks again!